the adventures of alyssa

Hello everyone! I am writing with cautious optimism that I have not been sick to my stomach since Sunday. Woohoo! I wanted to share some of my favorite items for pregnancy, now that I’m in my third trimester. Several of these products have affiliate links, and I did receive the Secrets of the Mommyhood book free in exchange for review (if I liked it ,which spoiler alert: I did!).

I have discussed this pillow before, and while initially I found it cumbersome and massive, now that I’ve got a small watermelon on my stomach, I would be sleeping even worse without it. You really need leg support at night when you’re knocked up, and this helps keep my head and neck rested while also sometimes putting pressure on my lower back, which has been helpful. It’s not cheap at around $59 but worth it for the very long 9 months that you’re pregnant.

These are yummy, discreet, and a mild way to tame mild nausea or queasies when you’re prego. In the early weeks of pregnancy when I was still undercover, it was convenient to pop one of these in my mouth as if it were a cough drop, to help ward off any wayward hurling. They taste like sour jolly ranchers and are packed with essential oils and B Vitamins. I know some people also use a brand called Queasy Pops, which are a big hit among people who have motion sickness. They’re inexpensive and yummy and definitely a must have.

3) Sprite, Smart Water, Gatorade

Just like ginger ale has long been used to soothe the tummy, I rely on Sprite when I’m feeling gross to pep me up. Yeah, yeah, it’s soda, so it’s not going to win you any awards in the health department, but when you can’t keep anything down, you need something, anything, to settle your stomach. So Sprite wins my award for saving the day! Anything with electrolytes is also great, like Smart Water (which I’m chugging now!), or Gatorade.

The author of this book, Heather, emailed me after finding Lalalyssa on the web and offered me a review copy. First of all, always super cool to be contacted by a real live author (I wanna be one one day!), and second, so nice of her to send a copy to me! What I really liked about this book is in addition to being written in a “real” voice is that it covers pregnancy, post-partum, and the first little bit of baby’s life. So many other pregnancy books are just pregnancy, and that’s fine, but it was refreshing to read something that covered the additional parts of life after gestating. I also liked Heather’s personal anecdotes, like the story about the time she went hormonal on a random woman in a shopping mall (I feel ya, sistah). I also appreciate that she goes into some of the less rainbow-unicorn parts of pregnancy, like how at a certain point you will want to wear granny panties, and you need to just embrace it. That’s something none of my other books have covered — and guess what, it’s true!

There’s also a good section on baby gear, which was timed perfectly as I start to fill in our baby registry. For just $10 on amazon, I think this book is a great buy and a simple, quick read that will make you smile with its candid voice. Check it out!

My mom totally cackled when I lifted up my shirt to show her my bump and she saw me rockin’ nude Spanx style hosiery, but these have a LEGIT purpose! This band lifts up the belly a little bit and provides some support to the aching lower back, rounds out your bump, smoothes the tummy for under clothes, and can keep non-maternity pants unbuttoned but secure on your body. This thing was well worth the $20 price tag and makes wearing dresses and jeans waaaaay more comfortable. I recommend it heartily!